TMZ.com

Cassie scored a legal victory in the battle with one of the former male escorts suing her over freak offs with her ex, Diddy, TMZ has learned. 

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, a federal court judge sided with Cassie and dismissed all claims against her brought by Clayton Howard.

The order does, however, give him the opportunity to amend some of his claims to potentially revive a portion of the case against Cassie. 

Clayton’s sued both Diddy and Cassie, claiming he suffered damages, including psychological injuries, after participating in the freak offs. He claimed Cassie coordinated the events. 

Michelle Hadley spent 88 days in jail for a twisted stalking plot she had nothing to do with ... and now we know how much money was shelled out to her over the massive screw-up.

Here's the deal ... Michelle is the focus of a new Netflix documentary, "A Toxic Love Story," about a 2016 cyberstalking case out of Anaheim ... where she was tossed into the clink after her ex-boyfriend, Ian Diaz, and his fiancée, Angela Connell, framed her for outlandish crimes ... such as trying to arrange for Angela to get raped via a Craigslist ad.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ … Michelle settled with Anaheim police for $1.8 million back in 2021 ... after she sued the city for what the doc shows was sloppy, rushed police work -- all because Ian used his influence as a U.S. Marshal at the time.

Bravo star Lisa Vanderpump is firing back at the handyman who claims he was severely injured at her Beverly Hills mansion ... she says he's to blame, not her.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the 'Vanderpump Rules' star denies all claims that she was responsible for the alleged injury Eric Nieto says he suffered in November 2023 when he was working at her 8,801-square-foot $14 million estate.

Lisa argues Eric was negligent and caused his own injuries by being careless. The reality star adds that if there was a dangerous condition, it was very obvious to anyone at the home. 

The man who "No Jumper" cohost Ant Jefe allegedly murdered was high on meth during the 10v1 street fight that ended his life, TMZ has learned.

TMZ obtained the Los Angeles Medical Examiner's report for Carl Welch ... and it says toxicology results showed he was high on meth, and had recently done cocaine when he died. 

However, the ME says drugs did not cause Carl's death ... instead, the ME says he died due to blunt force trauma to his head.

Investigators say Carl was attacked by Ant and nine others on January 31 in a parking lot ... and prosecutors charged Ant and a man named Johnnie Gray with Carl's murder.

D4vd's preliminary hearing is over after five days of testimony ... with the judge ordering the murder case of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas to proceed to trial.

The judge said the trial must begin within 90 days ... D4vd is due back in court for arraignment August 31.

Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said after the hearing ended that the singer is eligible for the death penalty -- and they are currently weighing whether or not the death penalty will be pursued.

The family of slain University of Idaho student Kaylee Goncalves is speaking out after her alleged murderer requested to withdraw his guilty plea ... and they're incensed.

In a statement, the Goncalves family called Bryan Kohberger "the mosquito you just can’t seem to swat."

Kaylee's family recalled how Kohberger pleaded guilty to the murders of Kaylee, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin ... saying, "He never cried foul, never claimed he was uninformed or pressured, and never suggested there were problems with the discovery materials he and his counsel had reviewed for two years that should have been challenged. He admitted his guilt."

2:02 PM PT -- D4vd's preliminary hearing is over after five days of testimony ... with the judge ordering the murder case of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas to proceed to trial.

Celeste Rivas threatened to kill D4vd just one day before prosecutors say he murdered her ... erupting over his friendship with former pal Aysia Collins, according to explosive texts revealed in court Monday.

The messages show Celeste grilling D4vd about why he wanted to remain friends with Aysia and becoming furious after learning that Aysia had been at his Hollywood Hills home.

"Oh my f***ing God, I swear to God, I’ll kill u," Celeste wrote, according to testimony from D4vd's preliminary hearing. She also threatened to strangle D4vd, tell lies to her father about him, mutilate his penis, and "end" his career and life.

2:02 PM PT -- The judge ordered the murder case of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas to proceed to trial.

D4vd could claim he killed Celeste Rivas in self-defense if, as expected, his murder case goes to trial, or he could claim she killed herself ... at least based on some texts she sent him shortly before her death.

According to text messages read in court Monday during D4vd's preliminary hearing, Celeste threatened to kill and strangle D4vd the day before prosecutors say he lured Celeste to his Hollywood Hills home and murdered her.

As TMZ reported ... Celeste repeatedly threatened D4vd during a furious exchange over his friendship with Aysia Collins, vowing to mutilate his penis and destroy his life and career. His defense also highlighted messages suggesting Celeste talked about killing herself.

That could leave D4vd's defense team with two potential lanes at trial -- argue Celeste took her own life or, if he did kill her, claim he acted in self-defense.

3:25 PM PT -- Lindsay Clancy's ex-husband Patrick Clancy took the stand after opening statements ... and as expected, he defended her. Patrick testified she fell into a shame spiral after the birth of their third child ... and threatened both suicide and harm to the children while on several prescribed medications by at least three different providers.

She also spent several days in psychiatric hospitals in late 2022 and early 2023 because she was still having thoughts of suicide, Patrick said. His testimony is expected to continue throughout the week.

The murder trial for Lindsay Clancy began Monday morning with opening statements ... in a horrific case of the Massachusetts mother accused of murdering her three young children.

Clancy is accused of strangling Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and 8-month-old Callan with elastic workout bands at her Duxbury home -- before she tried to kill herself.

Lindsay's lawyers are expected to make a case for insanity, intending to argue the mom was experiencing postpartum psychosis when she allegedly brutally killed her kids.

2:02 PM PT -- The judge ordered the murder case of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas to proceed to trial.

2:02 PM PT -- 2:02 PM PT -- The judge ordered the murder case of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas to proceed to trial.

Celeste Rivas' family knew she was hanging out with D4vd before she was found dead in his car ... and in some cases, signed off on her traveling with him on tour and overseas, despite initially saying they didn't know him ... at least according to his defense team.

D4vd's attorneys presented evidence Monday -- during the fifth day of his preliminary hearing -- suggesting the family knew something was going on between Celeste and D4vd and did nothing to stop it.

Celeste's sister allegedly traveled with them to one of D4vd's shows in Las Vegas ... and a notarized travel form to her parents showed they allegedly gave consent for Celeste to travel to London for a week in 2024 without any other family members.

Bryan Kohberger wants to take back the guilty plea that spared him the death penalty ... claiming he's innocent and only confessed because of "false promises" and "blatant disinformation."

Kohberger -- serving four consecutive life sentences for allegedly murdering University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin -- told The New York Times he filed a petition seeking to reopen the case and go to trial.

He declared ... "My actual innocence is my truth" ... insisting his plea "MUST be withdrawn."

Kohberger even welcomed prosecutors to seek the death penalty again in a statement to the NYT.

Justin Baldoni's Wayfarer Studios will write its first check in the wake of his legal war with Blake Lively ... because his production company was just ordered to pay The New York Times legal fees after his failed lawsuit.

According to legal documents obtained by TMZ ... Baldoni's Wayfarer Studios has been ordered to cough up $171,616 to The Times ... after a judge tossed his suit against the newspaper and another against Blake last summer.

As you know ... Justin and Wayfarer were suing Blake and Ryan Reynolds for $400 million and The Times for $250 Million, alleging defamation over an article about all the drama on the "It Ends With Us" movie set ... a story Baldoni alleged was a part of a smear campaign against him.

Clavicular is hiring more bodyguards after getting wrestled to the ground by two men outside Miami City Hall last week ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the streamer tell us ... Clav is doubling his security detail after taking a beating Friday night at the hands of two guys claiming they were making a "citizen's arrest."

Video shows the guys body-slamming Clav to the ground in a Miami City Hall parking lot and then choking him as they wrestled on the asphalt.

Clav and his buddy, Drago, had just left a club nearby, and the two men -- who were apparently bodyguards at the hotspot -- allegedly followed them before pouncing on Clav, who didn't appear to have any security with him.

"The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Dorit Kemsley claims her estranged husband, PK Kemsley, is refusing to pay the mortgage on the home where she lives with her children ... and she is asking a judge to shut down his "manufactured" emergency, TMZ has learned. 

Dorit's powerhouse lawyer, Samantha Spector, filed bombshell court docs denying PK's claims that she has been spending big on designer clothes, while ignoring mortgage payments. 

The reality star said PK is the one who failed to pay the bills after promising to do so. She said PK moved out of their marital home in May 2024 … and agreed to pay the mortgage and other expenses in lieu of paying formal child support.

She said she only learned the mortgage wasn't being paid when foreclosure notices started coming in.

Jeremiah "Shawn" Duffey allegedly inappropriately touched a juvenile girl he coached, just weeks before police say he killed his influencer wife, Sara Gilson, and himself in a suspected murder-suicide ... and cops say Duffey was the subject of multiple state investigations involving the same alleged victim.

According to police documents, obtained by TMZ, the player and a parent reported Duffey to Owasso Police on June 9 ... about an hour after the alleged incident at an Oklahoma elementary school.

Police say another coach witnessed Duffey allegedly touching the girl, immediately intervened, and alerted her parent. Duffey allegedly fled the school before officers arrived and was not seen by Owasso Police afterward.

"Top Chef" star Eric Adjepong allegedly violated a restraining order against his ex-wife, Janell Mack, more than a year before his daughter obtained a protective order against him ... TMZ has learned.

Here's the deal ... Janell took Eric to court in January 2025 and successfully obtained a temporary protective order that barred him from contacting her by "any means."

Well, one day after the order was set -- on Jan. 23 -- Eric allegedly asked his former wife via the "OurFamilyWizard" parenting app to FaceTime him.

A court summons was issued ... and Eric was reminded to never contact her again. The protective order was effective through Feb. 4, 2025.